NBC SPORTS GROUP CONTINUES FORMULA ONE COVERAGE WITH ITALIAN GRAND PRIX SUNDAY AT 7:30 A.M. ET ON NBCSN

NBCSN and NBC Sports Live Extra Present Comprehensive Live Coverage of Practice, Qualifying and Grand Prix

2015 IndyCar Season on NBCSN is Network’s Most-Watched Season on Record; Finale at Sonoma is Most-Watched IndyCar Race Ever on NBCSN

New Episode of Mobsteel Airs Tonight at 10 p.m. ET; New Episodes of Off The Grid and Mecum Dealmakers Begin Tomorrow at 10 p.m. ET

NBC Sports Group Presents “Throwback” NASCAR Sprint Cup and XFINITY Series Racing Coverage From Darlington Raceway This Labor Day Weekend

STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 2, 2015 – NBC Sports Group continues its presentation of the 2015 Formula One season this weekend with live coverage of the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, highlighting more than 50 hours of motorsports coverage across NBC, NBCSN and NBC Sports Live Extra this week.

Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes, 227 points) looks to build off his victory at the Belgian Grand Prix on August 23, his sixth win in 11 races this season, as he extended his lead to 28 points over Mercedes teammate and rival Nico Rosberg (199 points). Ferrari’s Sebastien Vettel (160 points) sits comfortably in third place, ahead of teammate Kimi Raikkonen (82 points) and Williams’ Felipe Massa (79).

Pre-race coverage will include special features on Vettel, who will be driving in his first Italian Grand Prix as a member of the Ferrari team. The four-time F1 champion joined Ferrari this past offseason, and has won three times at Monza, including his first win in F1 in 2008 driving for Toro Rosso. Hamilton is a two-time winner of the Italian Grand Prix, including his victory last season.

Coverage begins Friday on NBC Sports Live Extra at 4 a.m. with Practice 1, followed by Practice 2 at 8 a.m. ET on NBCSN. Live Extra airs exclusive coverage of Practice 3 on Saturday at 5 a.m., and NBCSN will present qualifying on Saturday morning at 8 a.m. ET. NBCSN live coverage of the Italian Grand Prix begins Sunday at 7:30 a.m. ET, with an encore airing at 2 p.m. ET.

Lead F1 commentator Leigh Diffey will call this weekend’s action, and will be joined by veteran analyst and former racecar driver David Hobbs, and analyst and former race mechanic for the Benetton F1 team Steve Matchett. F1 insider Will Buxton will serve as the team’s on-site reporter from Monza in Italy.

2015 INDYCAR SEASON ON NBCSN IS NETWORK’S MOST-WATCHED SEASON ON RECORD; FINALE AT SONOMA IS MOST-WATCHED INDYCAR RACE EVER ON NBCSN

As reported earlier today, NBCSN’s presentation of the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series averaged 507,000 viewers, making it the most-watched IndyCar season on NBCSN since IndyCar rights were acquired in 2009. NBCSN’s 2015 IndyCar coverage (11 races) was up 34% from the network’s average viewership for the 2014 season (378,000, 12 races), and up 26% vs. the previous record (402,000 in 2011), according to data provided by The Nielsen Company.

NBCSN’s record IndyCar viewership was highlighted by significant gains in the second half of the season, capped by Sunday’s season finale at Sonoma. The race (5:00-7:25 p.m. ET) averaged 841,000 viewers to become the most-watched IndyCar race on NBCSN since rights were acquired in 2009, and the most-watched IndyCar race on cable in seven years (ESPN, 2008 at Richmond). Viewership of Sunday’s race peaked in final full quarter hour (7:00-7:15 p.m. ET), as more than 1 million viewers (1.048 million) watched the thrilling conclusion to the 2015 campaign.

Following are the Top 5 markets for the 2015 season and the Sonoma race:

Click here for more information on NBCSN’s record-setting IndyCar viewership in 2015.
NEW EPISODE OF MOBSTEEL AIRS TONIGHT AT 10 P.M. ET; NEW EPISODES OF OFF THE GRID AND MECUM DEALMAKERS BEGIN TOMORROW AT 10 P.M. ET

This week’s original automotive programming on NBCSN begins tonight at 10 p.m. ET with an all-new episode of Mobsteel, as the team works to transform a 1949 Chevy truck. Mobsteel follows founder Adam Genei and his team of custom-car specialists, including his wife Pam Genei, as they restore vehicles ranging from the finest relics of the American automotive boom, to an old International Harvester Loadstar, and much more. Mobsteel is an existing custom-car shop that was founded more than 10 years ago, using vintage parts and Detroit steel to bring these ancient American cars back to life.

In addition, NBCSN will air an all-new episode of Mecum Dealmakers: Harrisburg tomorrow at 10 p.m. ET, featuring the best stories from this year’s Harrisburg auction, followed by a new episode of Off The Grid, profiling the sights and sounds around the British Grand Prix at historic Silverstone.

NBC SPORTS GROUP PRESENTS “THROWBACK” NASCAR SPRINT CUP AND XFINITY SERIES RACING COVERAGE FROM DARLINGTON RACEWAY THIS LABOR DAY WEEKEND

NBC Sports is gearing up for a holiday weekend celebration for the ages, when the sights, sounds and style of the 1970s will be incorporated to commemorate NASCAR’s rich racing history at Darlington Raceway. The storied, egg-shaped track that has earned two nicknames over the years through tough, white-knuckle racing will be hosting a full slate of Labor Day Weekend action for the first time in 12 years as “The Race for the Chase” heats up. NBC presents its first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event since the memorable July fireworks show from Daytona this Sunday at 7 p.m. ET. On Saturday, NBC presents XFINITY Series Racing from Darlington Presented by K&N, at 3 p.m. ET.

Throughout the weekend, NBC Sports’ lead announce team of 21-time Sprint Cup winner Jeff Burton, Daytona 500-winning crew chief Steve Letarte and announcer Rick Allen call the race action, while pre- and post-race festivities from Darlington are handled by host Krista Voda alongside analysts Kyle Petty and Dale Jarrett. Marty Snider, Mike Massaro, Kelli Stavast andDave Burns contribute reports from pit road. NBCSports.com lead motorsports writer Nate Ryanand features reporter Rutledge Wood contribute to NBC and NBCSN’s coverage Friday through Sunday. In keeping with this weekend’s throwback theme, NBC Sports welcomes legendary NASCAR broadcasters Ken Squier and Ned Jarrett, who will be joining the broadcast team as special guests.

Click here for more information on this weekend’s NASCAR coverage.

**taped earlier this week

MOTORSPORTS ON NBC SPORTS LIVE EXTRA: NBC Sports Live Extra – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs – will stream this week’s motorsports coverage via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value to for their subscription service, and making high quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms. The NBC Sports Live Extra app is available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play and Windows Store, Roku Channel Store and Apple TV.

MOTORSPORTSTALK: MotorSportsTalk (@MotorSportsTalk) on NBCSports.com brings racing fans up-to-the-minute news, video and information on Formula One, the Verizon IndyCar Series, and other open-wheel and off-road racing from around the world. The site also serves as the destination for all news, analysis and video from NBC and NBCSN productions of IndyCar and F1, including contributions from on-air commentators.

MotorSportsTalk’s content is provided by top racing journalists and expert analysts, including:

• Luke Smithis creator and editor at Richland F1, which begins its second season this year. Smith works alongside Tony DiZinno in providing F1 content on MotorSportsTalk He’s on Twitter at @LukeSmithF1, primarily handling the F1 scene from Europe in great detail.

• Tony DiZinnohas most recently served as web editor for RACER Magazine and provides open wheel coverage on MotorSportsTalk. DiZinno has more than seven years of experience in the industry. Follow him on Twitter at @TonyDiZinno.

To explore the site, please visit MotorSportsTalk.nbcsports.com or www.NBCSports.com.

SOCIAL: NBC Sports Group will continue to provide comprehensive motorsports social coverage across Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. On Twitter, fans can follow @MotorsportsTalk for all-encompassing content across NBC Sports Group’s motorsports properties, and follow @F1onNBCSports for the latest F1 news.

– NBC SPORTS GROUP –